Cost/planning of an elevator for future needs in new construction

Hello. We are currently in the planning phase of our little house. We would like to be able to install a lift without a shaft later on, if needed in old age. I have read that when building a new house, the later installation of such a lift should be planned for, as this then becomes significantly cheaper. I once asked a construction company about the approximate costs for preparing for a future lift. They said it would cost about 4200 euros. That seems a bit much to me. Of course, you have to plan for the additional space, although the costs should already be included in the approximate price per square meter. According to the builder, the ceiling on the upper floor would also be prepared so that less work is required later when installing a lift by removing the ceiling section for the elevator. Are there any other things that need to be implemented by the builder when considering such a lift, which would justify such a high price of over 4000 euros? Or do you think that the builder has simply priced it too high? I would be grateful for any opinion.

We have also taken the issue into account. Lift and Co. was not an option for us. We also waived an additional room on the ground floor. Initially, it was considered to have the office on the ground floor, which could later be used as a bedroom. However, then the ground floor would have become too large overall or the living/dining area too small. Therefore, we left it as it is and would, in an emergency, simply partition off part of the living room and equip it with a separate door. But one shouldn't paint too bleak a picture either. For example, my grandparents (93 and 95) can still climb stairs satisfactorily. The question, of course, is whether one can or would want to live in this house at all if one can no longer climb stairs.

to be able to install a lift without a shaft retrospectively. [...] Likewise, according to the builder, the ceiling on the upper floor would be prepared in such a way that later, when installing a lift, less work would be required by tearing out the ceiling part for the elevator.

I don't quite follow: lift without a shaft - which elevator then goes through the ceiling?

Maintenance work / regular TÜV inspections for a passenger elevator are not covered by the nursing care insurance. For paralyzed people, the cabin lift may be more suitable; for those with mobility impairments due to frailty, the stair lift is more appropriate in that regard.

Whether someone who is frail really wants to crawl into every corner of their entire house is the question. As a rule, equipping the ground floor as the sole living level for old age is a sufficient measure. Being able to shower there alone as usual then "feels like" more quality of life than climbing the library in the attic studio.

Hello. I thank you for the feedback. There are vertical lifts or light-duty lifts that do not require a shaft. I believe one is not allowed to post links in the forum. On Google, you can immediately find information that no shaft is necessary. These lifts have something like their own frame to go up. I am only concerned here whether the costs of 4200 euros from the contractor for considering the later installation of such a lift are justified. Does anyone have experience with this?

There are vertical lifts or lightweight lifts that do not require a shaft.[...] These lifts have something like their own frame to move upwards.

That structurally no shaft is necessary (in which counterweights and other moving parts run) may be true. But instead, there will have to be another fall protection around the ceiling opening in place of the masonry, which will cost more from the locksmith than from the mason. In that respect, not needing the shaft is not necessarily a gift.

My concern here is only whether the cost of 4200 euros from the construction company for taking into account the later installation of such a lift is justified. Does anyone have experience with this?

For a pure ceiling opening, that would be (too) much money, but a removable ceiling part (which, as long as it is in place, is as load-bearing as its surroundings) is not trivial.

I only fear the construction company itself will not have experience (in the sense of having done it often and learned a lot from it). This is not an everyday request.

What would speak against the cheaper alternative of a stairlift in old age?